HALLOWEEN MONSTER MASH-UP

Top local events around the Shreveport- Bossier area to get you in a spooky mood

Monsters' Ball

Dr.
Victor Frankenstein had a monster and a big, old house, and he drew a
raucous crowd. Shreveport’s historic Logan Mansion is gearing up for a
monstrous party all its own.

The
inaugural Monsters’ Ball will be at 7 p.m. Oct. 25 at the mansion.
Event organizer Bonne Summers said the new owners of Logan Mansion,
built in 1897, want to celebrate the mansion’s history as much as
Halloween.

“This is not meant to be scary,” she said. “There won’t be any monsters jumping out or anything.”

There
will be a themed buffet catered by Brad Jones and Allison Gras, the
executive chefs at The Revenir Restaurant. The spread will include jumbo
lump crab meat deviled eggs; pear, arugula, blue cheese and prosciutto
bundles; duck a l’orange pipets; and prime beef tenderloin. Local
musicians the Jimmy Wooten Band and Dirtfoot will perform on a stage on
the front lawn of the mansion.

The
Monsters’ Ball won’t be without some Halloween festivities. The
featured act on the front-lawn stage will be Voltaire, a goth-inspired
New York City underground cabaret performer. Several local artists will
showcase their work through the house in the Bizarre Bazaar.

“It’s
going to be fun and different,” Summers said. “Most of the art will
have something to do with the more macabre side of life. You won’t be
seeing pictures of sunflowers.”

Candlelight
tours will be available in the back yard, which will be converted into a
haunted beer garden with access to an underground speakeasy.

Partygoers can choose to add a flashlight tour of Oakland Cemetery (circa the 1820s) for an extra $15 a person. The
story-telling tour will feature actors and actresses portraying some of
the cemetery’s more notorious inhabitants, a news release said. A
portion of the proceeds will go to the Friends of the Oakland Cemetery
for improvements to the property.

But
the star of the evening is Logan Mansion. It is one of Shreveport’s few
remaining Victorian houses. And while it has a few ghost stories, it is
better known for its beautiful woodwork and exquisite craftsmanship.
The new owners are calling the Monsters’ Ball the mansion’s coming out
party and invite guests to explore the architectural treasure. “There
will be some newly renovated areas within the mansion they will be able
to see,” Summers said.

Tickets
for the event are $125 and are all-inclusive. Only 225 tickets are
available to preserve an intimate atmosphere. Proceeds from the event
will be used for further preservation of the mansion.

“We
not only want to keep the impact that the Logan Mansion has on our
local tourism market, but we also want to develop it as a bed and
breakfast and venue location,” the owners said in the news release.

More information and tickets are available through the Monsters’ Ball Facebook page.

The Halloween party continues throughout October with a variety of events.

Pumpkin Patch at Provenance

Fall
festivities continue through Oct. 30 at the Junior League of
Shreveport- Bossier’s Pumpkin Patch fundraiser at Provenance. The
pumpkin patch is open Monday through Friday from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.,
Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6:30 p.m.Pumpkin prices range from $1 to $35.

Weekly
special events include Markets and Music on Thursday, Food Truck and
Movies on Friday, Pumpkins and Pastries on Saturday, and Tricks, Treats
and Hayrides on Sunday. Photo sessions, crafts, pony rides and more also
are available. For more information and a detailed schedule, visit the
Facebook event page.

Provenance is located on Southern Loop in between Wallace Lake and Norris Ferry roads, just east of I-49 Exit 196.

Pumpkin Shine on Line

A
warm holiday glow will light up Betty Virginia Park on Oct. 22 for the
27th annual Pumpkin Shine on Line, hosted by Southfield School and
sponsored by Shreveport Public Assembly and Recreation. Pumpkin artists
from local schools, families, businesses and more will line the park’s
walking trails with their gourd creations. Prizes are being awarded for
the best jack-o-lanterns, and all participants receive a Pumpkin Shine
ribbon.

Food,
soft drinks and other concessions will be available – proceeds from
this event support local school arts programs. Security will be on hand.
Free shuttles will run from Mall St. Vincent to the park from 4 to 9
p.m.

The rain-out date is Oct. 23. For more information, visit the Facebook event page.

Dance of the Dead

Digital
Media Institute at Intertech invites you to “party your face off” at
its Dance of the Dead at 6 p.m. Oct. 26 at the Broadmoor YMCA, 215
Carroll St. Dance to live music by The Interns and enjoy a variety of
food and drink. A costume contest will be held with $1,000 in cash
prizes. Dance of the Dead is an all-ages event with a VIP area for ages
21 and older. Tickets are $10 each and available through the event’s
Facebook page.

SBC Zombie Walk

Legions
of the undead will descend on the East Bank District and Place Oct. 19
for the 2019 SBC Zombie Walk. The evening begins at 4 p.m. and will
include unique vendors, guest speakers, a costume contest, live music
and door prizes. Pets are welcome at this free event designed to promote
and benefit local charities and non-profit organizations.

DixieMaze Farms

The
Fall Festival at DixieMaze Farms, 9596 Sentell Road, continues through
Nov. 2. The festival includes the haunted trail, the cornfield maze and a
pumpkin patch. For more information, visit dixiemaze.com.

Spooktacular

El
Karubah Shriners presents Spooktacular Oct. 25 and 26 at the Strand
Theater in downtown Shreveport. Spooktacular is a “humorously haunted
circus of a scare for all ages.” Behold as specters and scaredy-cats
contort and cavort through a high-flying circus. Watch as vampires soar,
skeletons stagger and acrobatic cats romp through a haunted bazaar of
the bizarre.

Showtimes
are 7 p.m. Oct. 25 and at 2 and 7 p.m. Oct. 26. Tickets are $26, $40
and $60 each. For more information and to buy tickets, visit
thestrandtheather. com.

A Turn at the Point

Looking
for a book to put you in the Halloween spirit? Check out local author
George Sewell’s “A Turn at the Point.” From the corner of his eye,
psychologist Harry Wilson glimpsed something. The

fleeting
image heralds an entrance into the paranormal, where Harry encounters
people who have something in common despite separations in time and
space. Pieces of a grand puzzle fall into place, revealing the next step
in evolution for Homo Sapiens, at an inter-dimensional roundabout known
as the Point.

Sewell
is a playwright, author and teacher living in Bossier City. He is a
licensed prevention professional and internationally certified
prevention specialist with advanced degrees in counseling and drama and
communications.